Ivan Kalyuzhny: "Could not leave the team in such a difficult time"
Captain of "Metalist 1925" Ivan Kalyuzhny on a draw with "Shakhtar":
- Ivan, a very emotional match took place today in Zhytomyr. The final result is 1-1. What does the team and you personally feel after the final whistle?
- We are a bit empty after today's game. We put a lot of effort into it. In my opinion, we played very well today. I think our team is a bit saddened by the result of today's match.
- Do you think you were close to victory?
- In my opinion, yes. We created many more chances.
- You were very actively communicating with the referee. In the first half, there was a moment with a penalty awarded to your goal. What didn't satisfy you there?
- In my opinion, our player just passed by him. And as the player himself says, he put his hand on him and fell. To award a penalty for that... Then the referee gave us two yellow cards. When we didn't talk to him anymore - we talked among ourselves. This caused a bit of tension, but we talked to the referee during the break. In the second half, I didn't communicate with him at all.
- Your goal brought the result for the team today. When you scored, there were also a lot of emotions. You stood next to the "Shakhtar" players, what were you talking about? What didn't satisfy them then?
- They thought there was an offside. But the episode was reviewed by VAR. As we saw from the side, he was actually moving away from the goal, so the goalkeeper could see the ball. That decision was made. Good. If the referee hadn't counted it, we would have been even more empty.
- You found yourself in the right place at the right time - you scored. This is not your first goal this season. You were aiming for it, looking for this moment. Mladen Bartulovich repeatedly asked you in the second half if you were ready to finish the game, because you returned from the international break. You played for the Ukrainian national team. Did you have enough strength for this moment?
- It was a bit tough from the 70th minute, but I couldn't leave the team in such a difficult time. I tried to find strength within myself and keep playing.
